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Top Asian News 1:35 p.m. GMT

Associated Press

Thai coach apologizes to parents as boys write they're OK

MAE SAI, Thailand (AP) — The youth soccer coach trapped in a partially flooded cave in northern Thailand with 12 members of his team apologized to their parents in the first letters they have sent out through divers, with the boys saying they're doing well and missing their families. The local governor in charge of the mission to rescue them said Saturday that cooperating weather and falling water levels over the last few days had created appropriate conditions for evacuation, but that they won't last if it rains again. Thai officials have repeatedly said that a quick underwater evacuation of the boys, aged 11-16, and their 25-year-old coach was needed because of the possibility that access to the cave could soon close again due to flooding from seasonal monsoon rains.

AP PHOTOS: Thai soccer team's cave ordeal hits 2-week mark

MAE SAI, Thailand (AP) — For two weeks, 12 young soccer players and their coach have been trapped in a partially flooded cave in northern Thailand, riveting the nation and making news around the world. The boys, aged 11-16, and their 25-year-old coach were missing for over a week before rescue divers finally found them on Monday. The boys were skinny and hungry, but were in good health. Now, Thai officials wrestle with the task of extracting the 13 from the cave. Officials have suggested that a quick underwater evacuation of the boys and their coach is needed because of the possibility that access to the cave could soon close again due to more seasonal monsoon rains.

Heartbreaking scenes described in Thai boat sinking; 38 dead

PHUKET, Thailand (AP) — Divers who entered the wreck of a tour boat that sank in a storm off the southern Thai resort island of Phuket described heartbreaking scenes of bodies of children found in the arms of their mothers, as the search continued Saturday for 18 mostly Chinese tourists missing in a disaster that has left dozens dead. The death toll from Thursday's tragedy climbed to 38, in Thailand's biggest tourist-related disaster in years. It was not clear how many of the dead and missing were Chinese. The previous announced death toll was 33, with authorities saying all of those victims were Chinese.

Family of Thailand boat disaster victims seeks 'justice'

PHUKET, Thailand (AP) — The family of a Chinese woman and her two children who were among the victims of a tourist boat disaster off the Thai resort island of Phuket are demanding "justice," saying Saturday that the tragedy was caused by human error and could have been avoided. Chen Wei, a businesswoman from Chongqing province, said videos and messages sent by her sister Chen De Qiong to the family's WeChat group just before the boat capsized on Thursday showed strong waves and passengers not wearing life vests. The sister, Chen De Qiong, a 47-year-old doctor, arrived in Phuket on July 1 for a long-planned vacation with her 12-year-old son and 21-year-old daughter, Chen Wei said.

North Korea says talks with Pompeo were 'regrettable'

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — North Korea said Saturday that high-level talks with a U.S. delegation led by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were "regrettable" and accused Washington of trying to unilaterally pressure the country into abandoning its nukes. The North's statement came hours after Pompeo wrapped up two days of talks with senior North Korean officials without meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un but with commitments for new discussions on denuclearization and the repatriation of the remains of American soldiers killed during the Korean War. Before departing Pyongyang, Pompeo told reporters that his conversations with senior North Korean official Kim Yong Chol had been "productive," conducted "in good faith" and that "a great deal of progress" had been made in some areas.

Analysis: Trade rocks already unstable US-China relations

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's trade battle with China will exacerbate relations with Beijing that are already fraying on several fronts as the U.S. takes a more confrontational stance and an increasingly powerful China stands its ground. The gloves came off Friday as the world's two largest economies imposed tariffs on billions of dollars of each other's goods amid a spiraling dispute over technology. It comes at a time when Washington needs China's help in ending its nuclear standoff with North Korea. Trump's much-vaunted personal rapport with Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom he hosted at his Mar-a-Lago resort three months after taking office, won't help patch up differences, experts and former officials say.

38 dead, nearly 50 reported missing as heavy rain hits Japan

TOKYO (AP) — Torrents of rainfall and flooding battered a widespread area in southwestern Japan on Saturday, with local media casualty reports climbing quickly. Public broadcaster NHK said 38 people were dead, four were injured seriously and 47 were missing. Television footage showed a residential area in Okayama prefecture seeped in brown water spreading like a huge lake. Some people fled to rooftops and balconies and waved furiously at hovering rescue helicopters. Okayama prefecture said a man caught in a landslide died, and six others were missing. Evacuation orders had been issued to more than 360,000 people, the prefecture said in a statement.

South Korean women protest against 'spy cam porn'

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Thousands of South Korean women gathered in Seoul on Saturday to demand stronger government action to fight the spread of intimate photos and video taken by hidden cameras, which they say has women living in constant anxiety and distress. Police said about 18,000 took part in the women-only protest, with demonstrators calling for stronger investigations and punishments against male offenders who photograph or film women without their knowledge and post the material online. Most of the protesters covered their faces with baseball caps, sunglasses and surgical masks as instructed by organizers, who intended to speak out against an environment in which women constantly worry about tiny cameras hidden in bathrooms or being filmed from under their skirts at subway stations.

Filipino vice mayor killed; 3rd such gun attack of the week

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Van-riding assailants gunned down the vice mayor of a small Philippine city south of Manila on Saturday, police said, the third such brazen killing of a local official in the past week. Vice Mayor Alexander Lubigan of Trece Martires city and his driver were riding in a pickup van when they were shot and killed in front of a hospital in his city in Cavite province, according to a police report. The gunmen escaped. A special team of investigators was formed to try to identify the killers and establish the motive for the attack in one of the bloodiest weeks for local officials.

Cambodia's ruler starts campaigning with opponents silenced

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Campaigning officially began Saturday for Cambodia'sJuly 29 general election, with Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party virtually assured victory because the only credible opposition party was dissolved last year. Hun Sen, who has led the country for more than three decades, launched his Cambodian People's Party's campaign for the polls at a rally in Phnom Penh. His speech said if his government is returned to office, it will deliver continued economic development in one of the poorest nations in Asia. The main opposition force, the Cambodia National Rescue Party, was dissolved last year by court order in what was generally considered a political maneuver by the ruling party.